


Alike in Dignity

by justlikeitwasbefore



Category: Bandstand - Oberacker/Oberacker & Taylor
Genre: Donny and Julia mentioned, Gen, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Shared experiences, davy and his wife, donny nova band - Freeform, it's canon look it up, wayne and his wife
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:41:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23434078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justlikeitwasbefore/pseuds/justlikeitwasbefore
Summary: Wayne and Davy bond over having both lost their wives after the war due to how they had changed.
Relationships: Wayne Wright & Davy Zlatic, Wayne Wright/Davy Zlatic
Comments: 6
Kudos: 17





	Alike in Dignity

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, according to Brandon J. Ellis, Davy did have a wife named Susan and their relationship fell apart due to his drinking habits. And thanks to my friend Emily for giving me the idea!

“Say, Wayne, you comin’ with us for a couple of drinks?” Davy asked after practice one day, knowing full well that he would be having more than a couple of drinks that evening. 

“I can’t. I… have to see Anna tonight,” Wayne replied unconvincingly. 

Davy walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder, being careful not to provoke Wayne. “Now you and I both know that isn’t true. Come on, just one drink. And it’ll be on me. Help you loosen up a bit, yeah?” 

Wayne sighed and nodded. “I guess one drink won’t hurt,” he said softly causing Davy to whoop in response and lead the band to the Blue Wisp for drinks. 

The bar was hopping, as per usual, Davy navigating his way up to the counter and ordering a whiskey for both him and Wayne. 

Wayne looked around nervously at all the people, so many people. He hated it. He just wanted to get his drink and go. It was as if Davy could read his mind and handed him his glass at that moment. 

“Don’t worry. I made the guy wash the glass and handle it with a napkin.” Wayne nodded. “Want to head into the corner over there and chat? It’s much quieter.” Wayne agreed and decided to follow Davy while the rest of the band had already begun to make their way to the dance floor. “So, how are Anna and the kids?” Davy asked, taking a sip. 

Wayne couldn’t help but grimace at the question, the question he had heard countless times before. “They’re fine, I guess. Anna lets me see the kids once a week which is nice. Though she has to be there to watch, make sure I don’t freak out on them or something.” 

Davy nodded solemnly. “At least she’s just trying to keep the kids’ best interest in mind.” 

“Yeah, I guess so. It’s just hard. Because it feels like ever since I came back, Anna doesn’t trust me anymore. And I know I’ve changed but that doesn’t mean I can’t be a good father to our kids, does it?” Wayne sighed, exasperated. “Sorry, never mind. You wouldn’t get it.” 

Davy’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?” 

“You’ve never had a wife or kids. You don’t know what it’s like to come back home after going through hell and back just for your wife to scold you and leave you because she doesn’t get it.” 

“You’re wrong.” 

Wayne looked up confused. “What?” 

“I had a wife,” Davy said quietly. Wayne simply stared back in shock, unsure how to respond. “Her name was Susan. We were madly in love before the war. We were planning on having children and a dog and we’d live in a small house in the suburbs with a white picket fence and a green lawn and everything. But when I came back, I… I became this. And she didn’t recognize me anymore. Said that I was just slowly killing myself instead of trying to talk to her or whatever. She stopped laughing at my jokes and started throwing out my liquor bottles and… The first time I got blackout drunk, that was it. When I woke up she was just gone. All of her belongings gone. She didn’t even leave a note.” Davy downed the rest of his drink and ordered another one. 

Wayne looked down at his feet, feeling guilty for having snapped at Davy and for making quick judgements. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I had no idea…” 

“Nobody has an idea. I don’t tell them. The last thing those guys need is another thing to worry about and wonder about and ask about. I don’t like talking about it.” 

“D-Did you ever go after her?” 

Davy shook his head. “No. Wasn’t worth it. I knew what would come out of it. Besides, I didn’t want to have to put her through the pain of seeing me like that again. Because I knew I wasn’t going to change and she knew that too.” 

Wayne nodded, running a hand through his hair and taking a sip. “Well, I’m glad you told me. Even if you didn’t want to.” 

Davy smiled a little. “Don’t mention it. If you ever want to talk about it, I’m your guy,” he said quietly before turning to the crowd. “Hey, Nova! Give Julia a break from your lousy dancing and let me step in!” he shouted, walking onto the dance floor. 

Wayne chuckled a bit at Davy’s antics and swirled the golden liquid around in his drink. He twisted the wedding band around on his left ring finger three times before setting the glass down and following Davy onto the dance floor.


End file.
